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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TOMMY VICTOR OF PRONG!

Tommy thank you for taking out some time from touring to answer some questions.

BAH: Prong have been around since the late 1980's, what do you contribute your lasting success?

TV: I don’t know for sure. Maybe it has something to do with when I was 11 years old I just wanted to be in a band get on stage and get the hell out of where I was. That feeling remained for a long time and it may be hard wired into me. I can’t explain a lot of it. I know I’ve wanted to get out of the whole band thing several times and I somehow get pulled back in. Success is relative though. To some I’m successful to others I’m not. I’ve made way more mistakes than base hits along the way. Me, I think I have like a .285 lifetime batting average. There’s a lot of guys way more talented than me out there. A lot of guys way more better looking. I’ve had some good breaks. I’ve also simply willed survival in the business many times. You just keep looking for pieces to finish the puzzle.

BAH: What is it like when to read other artists like Jonathan Davis and Nine Inch NailsTrent Reznor say the you were such an influence to their music career?

TV: That goes back awhile it doesn’t mean anything to me. I think those guys and others may have liked the way Prong took chances. We rolled the dice in the face of major label dogma, in wanton. We didn’t want to fit in and just compete with the traditional metal bands back then. We didn’t want to just be a hardcore band or an alternative rock band. I guess we were arrogant and full of ourselves but some people may have thought it was cool. It doesn’t matter anymore to me because no one can really dictate their own art. It’s impossible.

BAH: What are some of the songs you like to play live? ( Asked by my 10 year old daughter Hailey).

TV: I like to play a lot of the old songs, you know the hits like “Prove You Wrong” and “ Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck”. We also have newer popular songs like “ Revenge Best Served Cold” and “ Divide And Conquer”that I like to do. I prefer playing the sing along crowd pleaser more than the weirder darker ones. But we hit hard too. We’re playing “However It May End” on this upcoming run and I think that’s one of the heaviest songs we ever have recorded.

BAH: If Prong was a tribute band, who would the tribute be to and what would the bands name be?

TV: It would be a Killing Joke tribute. We could call it “Bloodsport”. Or Maybe “What’s This For?”

BAH: Lets talk tour, your West Coast Tour will no doubt be a amazing, are their any plans to expand the tour to a full blown US Tour?

TV: Yeah it’s expanded but with Helmet , in May. Check the dates on our Facebook Page. It goes down South, East Coast Midwest.

BAH: Slidebar in Fullerton is a Southern California Metal haven, are venues like the Slidebar becoming ghosts either not booking Metal or being sold and turned into condos or another strip mall?

TV: Probably. Please don’t open the door for me being a cynical bastard when it comes to the state of Rock in America.. But it’s everyone’s fault! Everyone in America got afraid to take chances! Everyone has to fit into a formula! Sure there’s been some great band in the past twenty years but generally it’s all about the big huge bands that get a lot of exposure because someone put a lot if money into promotion.

BAH: We love us some Powerflo and Sen Dog, what was it that made you want to tour with them?

TV: It was our booking agent Andrew’s idea and we said hell yes! I don’t go around asking bands that much to tour with us because we,Prong STILL ARE outsiders. It’s built into the band. We’re grateful to anybody that will tour with us lunatics.

Billy Biohazard and I go way back . I’m still shy around him I dunno why.

I’m glad they want to do it.

BAH: Touring is a hard life, how do you keep up the energy night after night to melt faces off?

TV: It is a pain in the balls. My girlfriend says I’m a masochist even though we don’t fool around with the kinky stuff. No need to. I am just so used to pain, I expect it. I still am uncomfortable 95% of the time. It’s a torture test. Especially when you’re sober like me.

BAH: What does the band do to pass the time on tour?

TV: I’m busy a lot handling business. I read and listen to podcasts. I’m into philosophy and Roman history these days. I'm getting burnt out on Netflix these days on my iPad. Too many crappy shows! If we have a PS4 I’ll let Art Cruz kick my ass at FIFA every once in awhile.

BAH: We here at BAH are Metal all the way, but we have some songs on our playlists that some might find embarrassing, mine would be blasting some ABBA any chance I get. Pull back Prongs curtain and let us know what is a song or band you listen to that might surprise us?

TV: Enya. I think she’s amazing. She’s a phenomenon.

BAH: If the Zombie Apocalypse happened who would be the first to get bitten in the band and why?

TV: Jason Christopher for sure. He loves Zombies , a big Walking Dead fan and he’s pretty sure he’s the most attractive in the band.

BAH: We thank you for taking time out and answering some questions, please let the readers and fans know about your upcoming tour, and any shout outs you may have?

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